|
|
 |
 ASIA
HAND
Exalted Aquino has far to fall
Philippines President Benigno Aquino's family name and his signaling of the
need for deep-reaching reforms have restored a modicum of public trust in
government after his predecessor's scandal-plagued tenure. Yet despite all the
promise, the risk is real that despair will outlast hope - and that once again
Filipinos will have bowed before a false messiah. - Shawn W Crispin
(Sep 9, '10)
|
|
Hariri exonerates Syria over
father's murder
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri has changed his mind about who killed
his father, saying claims Syria masterminded the assassination of former
premier Rafik al-Hariri in 2005 are false. Speculation is growing that the
international tribunal investigating the murder will indict Hezbollah. That is
a red line Syria will not tolerate being crossed. - Sami Moubayed
(Sep 9, '10)
There's another side to Obama's COIN
Two new reports by influential groups 
suggest that United States President Barack Obama should reconsider his
counter-insurgency (COIN) strategy in Afghanistan. Views that prospects for
success are dim add to the debate ahead of mid-term elections in the US, with
voters increasingly expressing disfavor with the war. - Jim Lobe
(Sep 9, '10)
Taliban winning hearts - and more
The Taliban in the Tagab district of Kapisa province, north of the Afghan
capital Kabul, have stepped in to prevent men from having to pay exorbitant
fees to the family of a prospective bride. Wedding bells are ringing as a
result, while the Taliban reap a political benefit. - Habiburrahman Ibrahimi
(Sep 9, '10)
|
Ahmadinejad envoys stir trouble at
home
Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, under fire for appointing special envoys
from his inner circle, was advised by parliamentarians this week to "follow the
advice'' of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to work with, rather than
bypass, the Foreign Ministry. The turf war exposes the balancing act between
prudent officials and an action-oriented president. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
(Sep 9, '10)
Tibetan hope for Obama's India visit
Calls from the Barack Obama administration for "substantive" dialogue without
preconditions between the Dalai Lama and Beijing - and a United States demand
that Nepal guarantee Tibetan refugees free passage - have increased
expectations among the Tibetan community in exile that Obama will raise the
Tibet issue during his maiden visit to India in November. This risks the ire of
China. - Saransh Sehgal (Sep 9, '10)
Pakistan stares into a void
Muhammad Nasir from the northwestern Pakistani town of Nowshera lives in a
tented village, penniless after losing his home and job in massive floods. For
the time being, he and his family are being cared for by aid agencies. But for
him and millions of other victims, there is no long-term plan, no vision of
rehabilitation, only a looming void that militants are preparing to fill. - Syed
Saleem Shahzad (Sep 8, '10)
 THE
ROVING EYE
AfPak and the
new great game
As much as Washington may think it's in command, wily Afghan President Hamid
Karzai is playing an attacking game. He has seen the future as a power-sharing
deal in Kabul with no Americans involved. And, as usual, there's never a
mention of the key Pipelineistan game, Washington's real reason to spend US$100
billion a year (and counting) fighting a bunch of Arab jihadi instructors. - Pepe
Escobar (Sep 8, '10)
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA
Will our generals ever shut up?
The US military's creeping influence over the civilian command can be seen in
the ability of generals to launch media blitzes to support their own version of
foreign policy. It's a post-Vietnam Pentagon taking control of the media
battleground, and if the US accepts the skewed visions of these
Caesars-in-waiting, it will only slip deeper into imperial mayhem. - Tom
Engelhardt (Sep 8, '10)
|
US religious leaders condemn
Islamophobia
Leaders of mainstream denominations have denounced "outright bigotry" against
American Muslims surrounding the controversy over the construction of an
Islamic center near New York's ''Ground Zero'' and planned burnings of the
Koran on the anniversary of 9/11. Many fear such actions will fuel perceptions
in the Islamic world that the United States is anti-Islam. - Jim Lobe and
Daniel Luban (Sep 8, '10)
Geomancers embrace earthly intervention
A fraud case involving Asia's richest woman and sex scandals with painted
ladies have sullied the reputation of Hong Kong's feng shui industry, leading
the art's masters to propose an oversight body to recommend reasonable fees and
deal with misbehaving geomancers. Regulating a practice based on supernatural
divination won't be easy. - Kent Ewing (Sep
8, '10)
 SINOGRAPH
Chinese back no-blame
equity risk
Thirty years after the birth of China's economic leap forward with the
foundation of the Shenzhen special economic zone, President Hu Jintao is
calling for more reforms. Already ahead of him, individuals and companies are
changing the country's financial environment by supporting with hard cash
choice and risk over state and security. - Francesco Sisci
(Sep 8, '10)
Islamic lite versus deep state in
Turkey
In a referendum this week, Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party is
trying to strike another significant blow against the "deep state" of
high-ranking military, security services and the judiciary. Passage of the
amendments would hit the custodians of founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's
secularist legacy and bolster a version of democracy that has allowed an
Islamic "lite" party to rule. - Andrew Novo and Scott B MacDonald
(Sep 7, '10)
Doubts cast over China's 'wonder weapon'
Security circles are abuzz with China's Dong Feng 21D, the world's first
anti-ship ballistic missile. With its speed and long range it has the potential
to deter United States aircraft carriers from sailing in the West Pacific.
Taiwan is particularly concerned, but it may just be that there is more hype
than reality in the "wonder weapon". - Jens Kastner and Wang Jyh-Perng
(Sep 7, '10)
China spells out its fears
According to Chinese ambassador He Yafei, Beijing has one overarching priority
and that is to put its house in order. From an unusual briefing He held last
month it is clear that the urbanization of China is the greatest of the many
revolutions the country has faced. And with about 20% of the world's
population, China's ability to deal with the transition has daunting
consequences. - Alexander Casella (Sep 7,
'10)
North Korea blows off the cobwebs
This month's party conference in North Korea is an anachronistic showcase for
the Leninist hierarchy, if not quite the lavish display of a full-blown
congress. Still, as men in badly tailored suits clap only when instructed, the
meeting could be one of the last reminders of a bygone era - and it could
deliver big news - just as happened in 1980. - Andrei Lankov
(Sep 7, '10)
Blair's book hits a nerve in Arab
world
The memoirs of former British prime minister Tony Blair have been blasted by
the Arab press for their unapologetic stance towards the Iraq War and Blair's
alliance with former US president George W Bush. With painful memories of the
bad blood, civilian deaths and mayhem unleashed by the "war on terror", many
Arabs would prefer to see Blair complete his march into history. - Sami Moubayed
(Sep 7, '10)
New model needed in Vietnam
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung wants private sector development to
help the country secure "fast and sustainable" growth. Yet, with its external
finances suffering a sharp deterioration, poorly implemented reforms will lead
Vietnam into crisis rather than prosperity. - Anh Le Tran
(Sep 7, '10)
THE BEAR'S LAIR
The myth of growth
The past decade has seen the great economic myth of continued exponential
growth undermined. It is possible that technological progress, and so the
potential for improved living standards, may not be exponential at all. - Martin
Hutchinson(Sep 7, '10)
LIFE IN TALIBANISTAN
Married to the mob
Ten years ago, while the Taliban were filling their coffers with taxes from the
world's largest smuggling ring, a reincarnation of the Queen of Sheba was
playing her part in a sprawling west Afghan underground network of women
refusing to be locked indoors. Today, the Afghan-Pakistan border is still
porous, and the Taliban seem to believe they may even get their Talibanistan
back. - Pepe Escobar (Sep 3, '10)
This is the conclusion of a three-part report.
 PART 1:
'Throw these infidels
in jail'
PART 2:
The degree zero of
culture
|
<IT WORLD>
Delhi targets Google, Skype
The stay of execution granted Research in Motion before it has to give the
Indian government access to BlackBerry encrypted data services does not mean a
retreat by New Delhi, which now has Google and Skype in its sights.
(Sep 3, '10)
Martin J Young surveys the week's developments in computing, science,
gaming and gizmos.
 BOOK
REVIEW
Al-Qaeda and
counter-terrorism
Jihad in Saudi Arabia: Violence and Pan-Islamism since 1979
by Thomas Hegghammer
An engaging study of the rise of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, this book
traces the movement’s evolution from a Pan-Islamic volunteer force in the
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to a fermentation period in Saudi Arabia and
finally its emergence as a global jihadi network. It also shows how Saudi
leaders have successfully used softer techniques to undermine al-Qaeda's mass
appeal. - Brian M Downing (Sep 3, '10)
|
|
|
Rusal
tries serving
up yuan bonds
Bare months after serving up shares in his Rusal aluminum company to Hong Kong
investors, Oleg Deripaska is putting yuan bonds on the menu. But the garnishes
required by the Russian oligarch are of a different order to those that
sweetened US fast-food giant McDonald's recent yuan bond offering. - John Helmer
Turkish strength fragile
in referendum run-up
Hopes for a "yes" vote in this weekend's constitutional referendum in Turkey
have helped drive up share prices, but with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan's popularity slipping along with business confidence, optimism is
fragile. The International Monetary Fund, meanwhile, is indicating its own
doubts about the future. - Robert M Cutler
Sri Lanka shuns West,
finds solace in East
Sri Lanka's clothing workers are waiting apprehensively for the impact of the
end to European Union trade preferences as of last month. The government in
Colombo appears less concerned, as China and India become more closely involved
in the island's economy. - Amantha Perera
Searching for yield - at a cost
US fixed-income investors, 
from the household sector to pension funds, are being driven by Federal Reserve
policies into longer-term securities. When the dam breaks, many investors - and
the entire economy - could be in for a rude awakening. - Kieran Osborne
 Unlimited
useless money
President Barack Obama's latest US$50 billion stimulus shows that the United
States is truly given over to unlimited printing of money and the horror of
high inflation. The world of US$31,000 gold may soon be upon us - which is
great for those not dreamwalking as the nightmare unfolds.
|
FROM THE BLOG
It will get ugly
The state and local government crisis in the United States represents a
generational opportunity to burn out the base of the Democratic Party. The cure
for the crisis is to break the public employee unions. It has to get ugly. - David
Goldman
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
All material on this website is
copyright and may not be republished in any form without written permission.
Copyright 1999 - 2010 Asia Times Online (Holdings),
Ltd.
|
Head Office: Unit B, 16/F, Li
Dong Building, No. 9 Li Yuen Street East, Central, Hong Kong
Thailand Bureau: 11/13 Petchkasem Road,
Hua Hin,
Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
|
|
|
|
